All language subtitles for Ch5.New.Lives.in.the.Wild.Series.8.1of4.Bulgaria.720p.HDTV.x264.AAC.MVGroup.org.eng

Of course there's a monk hanging
upside down.

Imagine starting your life all over
again.

Moved out here to get away from
everybody.

Yeah.
MAN LAUGHS

In one of the wildest places on
Earth.

Leaving behind everything you know.

From that point on, I became a
refugee from modern life.

For something completely different.

Give me a hug.

I'm Ben Fogle.

And over the next few weeks,
I'm going to live

with the incredible people who've
made this choice.

I mean, that is the dream - your own
island.

Yeah.

To discover their motivations.

When you got one minute to live, are
you going to be happy

with what you've done?

We wanted to make sure that it was
going to be a life worth living.

In eight extraordinary locations,

from the jungle to the forest.

Islands to the mountains.

I'll find out what it takes to
create a new life in the wild.

Today I'm in Southeast Bulgaria

in the vast forests of the
Rhodope Mountains,

staying with Miriam Lancewood and
her husband, Peter.

A couple who've chosen a life as
nomads walking the world.

Imagine that that is EVERYTHING I
have in my life.

I'll find out how find out how these
former teachers

strip away all complications of
modern life.

I don't own him, he doesn't own me.

I feel completely free.

And thrive and survive together to
face the challenges of the wild.

Does it make you guys feel insecure?

Yes, it does. Sometimes, it does.

And we just have to push through it.

My journey begins almost 2,500
kilometres away

in Bulgaria's capital, Sofia.

It's then a five-hour drive
southeast towards the Greek border.

Through mountain forests home to
bears, wolves,

and the country's highest peaks.

This is beautiful.

Never been to Bulgaria before.

And somewhere out there is Miriam
and Peter.

It's extraordinary that this is
where they have chosen to live.

And what's more, this is where they
are for this month.

But they could be in a whole other
country by the next.

I travel further up the mountain.

See you later, thanks so much!

VOICEOVER: And, with just some
coordinates, I wait.

This is the only other vehicle I've
seen for over an hour.

HE LAUGHS

It must be them.

Ben! Wow, look at... You made it!
Oh, my...!

Good to see you! Oh, my God, you're
like a ball of, like, energy!

This is amazing. Yeah, it's amazing.
So is this Peter?

No, of course not!

No, I'm hitch-hiking. We don't have
a car. You hitch-hiked in this? Yes.

So, where's Peter? He's at the camp.
He's at the camp? Yeah.

Shall we go and find him as well
then? Yeah, we'll do that.

I'll throw my bag in the back then.
Yeah, let's go.

34-year-old Miriam grew up in the
Netherlands.

As a teenager she became an
accomplished athlete,

but shunned a professional sports
career.

It was at 22 while on a journey
through India

she met Peter - 30 years her senior.

They travelled together, fell in
love and finally moved

to his native New Zealand.

Two years later, they give up their
house and possessions

to live a primitive and nomadic life
in the wilderness.

And they've done so ever since.

So it's a mixture of hitch hiking
and walking?

Yeah, a lot of walking.

Mm-hmm. Well, we left New Zealand
last year.

So, in the last year we've been
walking Europe.

We started in France and we walked
east.

And we walked through Switzerland
and into Germany.

That was 1,000 km.

Wow! That was awesome.

And you just camp out? Yeah, always.

We never go to camp grounds or
obviously not hotels anything.

Yeah, we always find a little quiet
spot.

It's now summer, but an unseasonable
weather front has hit the mountains.

Wow, the mist has come down.

I think I can just see a flickering
flame.

Hey.

Hey. Hey, Peter, how are? Nice to
meet you. Very nice to meet you.

Can we come under the tree to
shelter a bit?

Definitely.

So, is this it?

It's very typical of the places we
live in yes.

So, no actual physical building?

Oh no. No. A tree.
You're always underneath a tree.

You've got tree cover.
So this is effectively your kitchen.

Yep, there's always wood under the
trees.

Usually there's dry wood up in them,
no matter how much rain.

Water - have plenty of rainfall
but...

There's a spring just round there,

a little spring you get the water
from. The loo?

Anywhere! Wherever you feel like.

Anywhere or everywhere?

Everywhere!

So, how long have you been moving
for then?

Wilderness, living like this?

Maybe seven years.

SEVEN years?!

On and off, yeah. Seven or eight
years, yeah.

I've personally been a nomad for 17.

17 years?

This spot has been the couple's home
for the past two nights.

But after a quick cup of tea, we'll
be moving on.

This is Miriam's enormous cup. You
can see who's the boss around here.

Yeah. And that's my little one in
the middle is it? That's the little
one, yeah.

That's all you get right there.
Spot the visitor. Spot the visitor.

You can have the big cup.
Don't you worry, I know my place.

It actually isn't enough. Do I take
it that Peter that Miriam's boss?

No.

In certain circumstances, yes.

But other circumstances, definitely
no. Oh, really?

Yeah, we have different tasks.

Is there a very set line between
tasks and...?

Yes, certainly. Yeah we're quite
happy with it but we do have it.

Like, I look after food mostly.
Yeah. Foraging and finding. And she
looks after hunting

and preparing camp. And by the way
when we say food that's not going

to a supermarket obviously.

Well, we do have to do that because
of a lot of things are not out here.

Like, don't see much rice, or...

Teabags. Teabags.

All those kind of things, so...

But you will hunt - who hunts?

She's the hunter. I'm hunter.
You're the hunter?

She's the hunter and I'm the cook.

What do you hunt with, with a gun?

No, my bow, it's right here.

I love the way you just say, "No of
course it's my bow!" Of course.

Of course it is, Miriam.

Are you serious, she is?

Well, this is the bow that I hunt
with. She's tough - that is amazing.

It's an amazing couple.

They're packing up their home right
now.

This is a duo who literally walk the
world

with their life on their back.

And, you know, I'm fascinated to
find out about their dynamic

cos there's obviously quite a big
age gap between them.

I kind of don't want to point out
the obvious, but it's quite apparent

and I'd love to know how that all
works.

OK.

I'm ready to go.

So have you got all your worldly
belongings on your backs now?

That's right. Yeah, we're like a
snail - we carry our entire house.

You're like the snails. So, what
sort of weight have you got back
there?

Well I never can carry more than
about 18 kilos.

Probably at the moment 15.

Mine is a bit heavier.
I've got a bigger pack.
She takes, yeah 20 to 25.

Oh, really? You get the extra
weight, do you?

Yeah cos she's stronger than me!
SHE LAUGHS

Hey, there's gotta be SOME advantage
in being older.

So, how many sets of clothes have
you got in there?

It's only one. Cos this is your
wardrobe as well? Yeah, exactly.
It's one change.

So, if it's really cold I've got all
the clothes on. Yeah.

Right, who's leading the way?

Pete always leads.

We'll follow you, Peter. OK.
That's right.

We head southwest and I brace
myself.

Miriam and Peter can walk up to 25
km each day.

After meeting in India, the couple
walked for two years

across the Himalayas, Southeast Asia
and Papua New Guinea.

It was once in New Zealand where
walking the wilderness

gripped them for eight years.

So, how different is this
environment

to where you usually walk?

Well, this is totally different from
New Zealand.

In New Zealand, there was no
dangerous animals at all.

And so it was very safe.

And here, we've got bears, they
speak about wolves over that way.

Does it keep you both on edge?

Yes, especially in the night.

And do you come across other people
along these trails,

while your walking?

You mean locals or...?

Yeah, locals or other people doing
the same thing?

No, we never meet people doing the
same thing. Oh, no!

And why is it that you think you
don't come across other people

doing what you're doing?

People find it very difficult to
give up security.

Right. So, to actually live without
a home... Yeah?

..makes them feel very insecure and
very unpleasant.

Why would they choose it?

Does it make you guys feel insecure?

Yes, it does. Sometimes it does.

And we just have to push through it.

Mm-hmm. Yeah.

Very insecure, also very free.

So...

..there's two sides of it.

I think we've got to watch out for
the rain.

As we walk, the mountain forests
seem breathtakingly endless.

And I have no idea where we're going
or when we'll be stopping.

The reality of Miriam and Peters'
existence is beginning

to dawn on me.

Imagine that, that is EVERYTHING I
have in my life.

All my money, my identity.

My security, my future, my past...

EVERYTHING is in that one bag.

If it gets wet, if it gets stolen,
if you lose it,

that's your life gone.

And I think a lot of people do like
to settle roots.

Even in the widerness, they like to
have a cabin

or some sort of infrastructure where
they have that safety net.

And yet these two have chosen to
forfeit that.

I'm deep in the Bulgarian mountains
with my hosts Miriam and Peter,

modern-day nomads who are
hiking across Europe.

I hear water. A spring here. Yeah.
That must be very good water.

And you see they've got a little...
I love that. Isn't it cute?

It's so friendly. Are these all
around? They have an actual cup?

Yeah, yeah. That must be the
communist thing, yeah?

No-one nicks them?
No. Apparently not, no!

Stumbling across the watering hole
is a welcome relief.

Mm, that's nice!

And my hosts never miss
an edible opportunity either.

Hey, look at that?
Feeling a bit hungry?

Those are some wild cherries.

This is all part of how you live,
is it?

Yeah. Foraging along the way?

I couldn't say how good
they're going to be.

Very nice. I think the higher up
you go... Yeah.

While Miriam stocks up in the wild,

Peter has spotted a tiny village
in the valley below.

We go to check it out,
because the couple never know

when they'll next be able
to buy essentials.

Ah! There it is. Hello!

How do you save say
"Hello" in Bulgarian?

Is your Bulgarian any good?

Not much, me, no.

Presumably, you have to be careful
about not overbuying,

cos then you're going to have...
Yeah, cos you got to able to
carry it, so you have to be careful.

Even tomatoes, a bit heavy today.

This garlic ain't great, but it's
the only garlic we can get

so we'll take one piece of garlic

and I'll get some onions.

And then, what I'm going ask her
is if there's any of these.

Peter, I love the fact that we've
come here to get sort of

flour and rice but you're
just going for ice creams.

It's the most important thing...
Is this because Miriam isn't here?

That's cos Miriam's not here.
You don't want no ice cream, do you?

I'm OK, actually. Thank you.
Put that one back.

Well, I think that's
all we want for now.

The couple afford their lifestyle
with their £40,000 savings...

There we go.

..and they've spend less than
£3,000 a year.

Do you worry about money?

Do you keep tight control
on how much you're spending?

No, because we only buy
what we really need.

And if you really need something,
you don't question it. Mm-hm.

I mean, this ice cream,
I really don't need it but...

You want it.
THEY LAUGH

I don't know.
It's just one of my things.

If I can get an ice cream,
I'm going to get one.

Thank you!

Thank you very much. Thank you.

Peter travelled from a young age,

and over the past 40 years has hiked
almost halfway around the world.

Right here, we're starting to see
wild strawberries. Mm! Look!

This is the season for them.
Look at this!

Yeah, look at that some
quite nice ones.

After a PhD in ecology and
a career as a lecturer,

the open road called him once again.

I'm wondering, though,
how you go from academia -

lots of stimulation of the mind -

to this.

I'd spent eight years studying some
of the most interesting things

I could ever come across,
all to do with the environment -

after, you know, philosophy,
sociology, all that -

and I realised at some point
that it's one thing to study

and intellectually
understand all this.

It's another thing to live it.

And I was sitting in a staff meeting
one day, looking out the window,

thinking, "They might be paying me
$50 an hour to sit here,

"but my life belongs out there."
And that was the change point.

We rejoin Miriam back
on the mountainside.

I want to know how the couple
found each other 12 years ago.

But I'm curious about you two.

Did you meet like this,
while you were out walking?

I was travelling in India by myself
for about five months.

And then I met... In a little local
restaurant, I met Peter. Mm-hm.

And actually, I was, at the time,
looking for someone to play chess.

So I went everywhere, like,
"Can you play chess?" No-one could.

And then I found Peter
and we played chess.

And what were your first thoughts
when you saw him?

I thought, "That man has got
amazing blue eyes."

SHE LAUGHS

And, well, we soon got to chat and
then I found out that he'd done

these amazing adventures.

His whole attitude is to say,
"No, I'm not going the beaten track.

"I'm going to face the unknown.

"I'm going to step into
insecurity everyday."

Now, that's just amazing.

I've never come across
someone like that.

And what did you think
when Miriam came up to you?

I was looking for somebody to travel
across the Himalaya with.

And I thought, "Here's someone
who really could do it."

And then I thought, "Mm, I'm kind of
a bit older, and she's younger, so

"probably, she'll just move on
and that will be that. What a pity."

And 12 years later,
she's still here.

It's an absolute miracle, really.

There's obviously an age gap
between both of you.

Obviously! I mean, there is.

Is what it is.

Are you often asked about it?

Is it something that
ever is an issue?

A lot of people say to me,
"Oh, Peter could be your father."

You see the judgment.
It's quite a big one.

But my theory is that when I met
Miriam, she was an adult

and I was an adult.

Who says that relationships
have to be like this or that?

It's like, for me, another form
of prejudice.

Are you trying to kind of escape
maybe some of society's prejudices?

Earlier in my life, possibly.
But now, no.

No, if this life was an escape,
it would become a horror, I think.

If you're running away.

Yeah, wouldn't be good.

All right, well...

The Rhodope Mountains
cover 15,000 square kilometres.

And after eight hours of walking,
we're looking for a camping spot.

We need flat ground, firewood
and a source of water.

What do you think?
We can... We can work with this.

Yeah. This is a fantastic spot.

Nice, flat... Nice, flat area.

It's really difficult
to find a flat spot.

Flat makes for a good tent.

Maybe not in Bulgaria,
but in France,

we'd walk for hours and hours
and hours. Really? That'll do. Yeah.

Right. Right. We'll turn this
into a campsite.

Any good sticks for fire,
we put over there.

Do you enjoy setting up camps?

Yeah. And every time, we make
a little home.

We just have to make a space
for you, too. Sure.

Well, why don't you pick your...

Where do you want to
put your tent, Miriam?

This will be ideal,
cos our mats are very thin.

Yeah. We feel everything.

So you use this litter just to try
and kind of make a nice comfy

mattress, almost, underneath? Yeah.

Here, I'll give you a hand
with that.

So you must have put this up
literally hundreds of times?

Millions of times.
SHE LAUGHS

The couple can go weeks,
often months,

without seeing another person.

But they're not always alone.

Do you see that?

What, the tree? That's a bear.

A bear been hacking into it
to get those grubs, wasn't it?

In there? Yeah. You think?

Could well be, isn't it?
You're just trying to scare me.

No, just look at it! What's made
that sort of...? You think?

Yeah, something's had
a good scratch in here.

Yeah, that's what I thought.
Quite big claws, isn't it?

Pretty large animal right here.
It's not a pig.

The locals tell us
that bears make that.

Really? There's been a bear there.

How...? Does that make you
a little nervous?

No, no, I'm more worried
about you, mate. Oh, are you?

You're on the bear side.

We're on the other side of the fire.
THEY LAUGH

Now we've set up camp.

It doesn't mean we can rest.

With a break in the weather,
there are chores to be done.

We get to a place like this,
you know, really tired,

and so I get that guy in
as fast as possible.

We're resource hunting all the time,

because if we can't find
what we need, we suffer.

I can see how Miriam's athletic
nature has been a huge advantage

on this couple's expeditions.

I want to know more
about her background.

How did you do as a pole vaulter?
Did you have success?

Yeah, I became six-time Dutch
champion in the youth,

and I went to the Youth
Olympic Games. Really? Yep.

So did you ever set your sights
on THE Olympics?

Yes. Yeah, I almost got into
the Olympics.

That was my great goal. Yeah, yeah.

And why...? What happened?

Well, two things, actually.

That sort of life is very
disciplined, very narrow, in a way.

So I thought, "Do I want to do this,
or do I want to see the world

"and have a totally different life?"

On the other hand, also, you know,
it's very competitive.

and I was always nervous of,

"How am I going to do in
the next competition?"

I didn't like that nervousness.

Was it the pressure? Yeah, there was
always a lot of pressure.

It was then that Miriam set off
on her first travelling adventure.

I went to Africa to become
a sports teacher.

And I had great hopes,
but it was anything like it.

Didn't like it at all.

You didn't. Why not?

I was very, erm...
I felt very lonely.

I was homesick.

I didn't like sports any more,
I didn't like teaching any more.

And I didn't like the
students either.

Then I thought, "I'm going to travel
in India."

So that's what I did and, of course,
that's where I met Peter.

Tonight, we have some
fresh meat for our meal.

But soon, we'll have to hunt.

And Miriam wants to see
if I have any skills.

So who taught you to hunt?

Nobody. Just myself.

Took me about almost two years
before I was confident in hunting.

Presumably when you were young,
you'd just buy meat in the shops.

No, I grew a vegetarian.
So my mother never cooked meat.

So you've gone from
vegetarian to huntress.

Yeah. In the beginning,
it was quite shocking.
I mean, I killed something.

You know, this is quite traumatic
in a way.

But then when you eat it,
it's so tremendous energy.

And then I felt a little bit
like, I become that hare

or I become that goat.

You know, you become a little bit
wilder that way.

Let's see what your aim's like,
then.

SHE LAUGHS
Impress me.

Whoa!

Whoa, you didn't miss a beat there.

No, it's 45 pounds,

so you don't want to sort of
hang around for 10 minutes.

So finger's on there. Yep.

And draw out completely.

Yeah, that's great.

Oops, gone!
THEY LAUGH

Bye-bye, arrow!

This is $15.

It was only just above it.
I reckon I can find that.

We've got another one.
Oh, we've got another one, OK.

Oh! It was a little bit higher.

Cos you made me nervous again.
You made me nervous again.

Yeah, I'm feeling it now.

What are you feeling?

Bother! It's every time,
the same place! I know!

You had two years on this, Miriam.
Yeah, that's right.

That's right. OK.

Aw! That's in! Perfect.

And what about Peter, Miriam?
Do you teach him as well?

He had a few goes.
But then he said, "No, you do it."

And what about everything you've
learned? Do you want to share that
with other people oneday?

Yeah, I share that all the time.
Right with you now. Mm-hm.

Have you ever thought
about children?

Yes, we think about children.

And I decided I don't want
to have children. No?

Life with children would be totally
different, wouldn't it? Mm-hm.

You need to settle down
and bring them to school.

Have a house, at least. Mm-hm. Yeah.

So do you think you have made
a commitment to carry on this life

over settling with a family?

Exactly. Is that, like, where the
roads have totally separated

and there's no way
you'd ever go back?

No, exactly. Yeah, yeah.

Funny enough, I feel slightly
more on edge around Miriam

than I do around many other people
I've spent time with.

Cos I know she's observing,
she's looking.

She just wants to know what
abilities people are going to have.

And I think then, when you bring
that back into their lifestyle,

it's purely practical.

"Are you going to be a good bowsman?

"Are you going to be
a good woodcutter?"

And that's kind of the lifestyle
that they've created.

And the chores are
separated accordingly.

And it now also make sense, why she
carries a bit of extra weight

over Peter when they go trekking.
Cos she can.

In the Bulgarian mountains,
the rain has started again.

There is no escaping the weather
for you guys.

I know you can get in your tent,
but you still have to use the fires,

you have to cook, yeah? Yeah.

Do you enjoy it? No!
I find it absolutely terrible!

I'm so glad that you're
honest about that!

I find this horrific. Do you?

Absolutely horrific!

I love your honesty!
I just can't stand it!

Eventually, it stops.
The sun comes out.

And immediately, it comes out
and everything starts drying out.

You totally forget this
ever happened.

You cannot think ahead.
Just think of today.

Maybe just until lunch.

Mm-hm. Yeah.
And don't even think about tomorrow.

Was there never a moment
where you had regrets,

where you thought you'd
made a bad decision?

One of the most liberating things
I ever did in my life was

walk out of my house and put
the keys in the letterbox for

the real-estate agent, pick up
one bag and head to the airport.

That was the most incredible
thing to do - finish.

And from that point on, I became
a refugee from modern life.

There is something very
liberating about camping.

But imagine doing this perpetually.

There's no end.

It's kind of... It's almost
unimaginable in some ways,

because the idea that this is
your permanent roof,

this is the only safety net you have

is quite, erm...

..tenuous.

So I had a very strange request
last night.

Miriam asked me to fill that
with my wee this morning.

That's never a good sign.

And once Miriam is up and at 'em,
I do my duty.

Miriam, I think this is one of
the stranger things

anyone has ever asked me to do.

Really? Yeah, what, to pee in a cup?

THEY LAUGH
Yeah!

You're making me nervous.

Since Miriam began her life in the
wild, she keeps toiletries simple,

and this includes using an
ancient method of shampoo.

Are you pulling my leg?

No, this is what we're going to do -
right now.

Are you wetting your hair there?
No, I...

I'm trying to take all this in!

Ah!

Am I going to have beautiful...?

Your hair will become more volumous,
more beautiful.

Right, now use your cup...
HE LAUGHS

..and now pour it over
with one hand. Yeah? Yeah.

Don't pour it over your shirt!

Yeah, I know. I'm wearing this
for the next few days.

Just pour it over? What, all in
one big go or...? Yeah, move...

No, slowly. Yeah? Like this.

There's nothing difficult about it.
You go ahead now.

OK. Just pour it all on?

Yeah.

Oh, it's still warm!

It's really warm!

Now just sit here.

Just sit here? 20 minutes.

What?!

20 minutes' soaking time.
Otherwise, it doesn't work.

20 minutes?

Are you smelling your hair?
THEY LAUGH

Yes! A lot of people would be
slightly horrified.

Yeah. It's quite normal to us.

I mean, what is horrifying about it?

To me, going to work every day,
sitting in traffic jams,

I mean, that is uncomfortable
for me. Yeah.

Although Miriam is one of the
happiest and most content

wild women I've ever met, I think
the fact that this is almost

all she's known in her adult life
is both a positive and a negative.

I don't think it's out completely!
THEY LAUGH

You might have to put your head
in a bit deeper.

How about that? Yeah.

THEY LAUGH

I wonder whether her mind
will wonder a little bit,

"What's it like to live under
a roof, a permanent roof?

"What's it like to have a bath
that you can get into

"with hot water?"

What I know now is that the
wee shampoo is probably

not going to take off
in the Fogel household.

I may suggest it
to my wife and kids.

Not sure whether they're
going to embrace it.

Mist and rain continue to shroud us.

Over the next couple of days, the
three of us settle into camp life,

as we wait for the weather front
to change so that we can hike on.

With food rations running low,
we decide to go hunting.

We're walking up to 10km
a day just doing tasks.

And today, we're careful
to keep downwind.

The beauty about hunting is that
now you're not an observer,

but you are a participant. Mm-hm.

You are completely one
with the forest.

You are like a tiger.

You are out hunting!

I can see the excitement
on your eyes. Yes.

Is this when you feel really alive?

Yeah. Look at these hunting arrows.
Don't they look vicious?

These are made to go straight
through the ribs into the heart.

WHISPERS: What are you looking for?
Why are you leading us this way?

WHISPERS: We've just been following
a little deer track.

Hopefully it comes out
in the open again.

How old do you think that print is?

It's before the rain...

But it rained all afternoon,

so it could be this morning.

With daylight fading,
the pressure is on.

Finally, out in the meadow,

Miriam spots the familiar shape
of a small deer.

Yeah, I see it.

We've been out hunting for
about an hour or so now.

Miriam's spotted something or heard
something over in the distance, so

just standing back a little bit
while she

tries to get a little bit closer.

She's getting very close to one.

But it seems to have
disappeared now.

Do you think? Yeah.

We head back to camp empty-handed.

Do you ever feel a pressure, if you
go back and Peter's kind of there,

waiting, hungry? Yeah, hungry!

If I come back, like, three times
with nothing, you know, then maybe.

That's hunting.

Do you get a bit disappointed?
Yeah, always a little bit,

but always good hopes for tomorrow,
you know? Yeah.

I must say,
you're eternally optimistic.

SHE LAUGHS
You have to be!

For a wild couple,
they're very well rounded.

It's almost like a teacher
and their student.

Our whole modern civilisation
has slowly worked itself

into rationality and knowledge...

Peter's obviously very worldly,
he has a huge wealth of experiences,

and that's what attracted Miriam
to him in the first place.

Miriam is so proficient
and strong and knowledgeable.

She complements him beautifully
well. There's no competition.

And although we'll be hungry
tonight, Peter also seems at ease

with whatever the wilderness
has thrown at them that day.

This whole life of ours
is totally free choice.

At any moment where you say,
"We've had enough now,

"we're going back to the normal
world," and we can do that.

Could you, though?
Oh, yes. Of course I could.

Do you think? Yeah.
Would you adapt back in?

If I needed to. People often ask,

"What would happen if you
ran out of money?"

Well, we'd go and get a job.

Mm-hm. Simple.

But what about...?
What about health, for example?

If you... Have you ever become
ill and sick?

Yes. In Papua New Guinea,
I got two strains of malaria.

I was that close to going out
the back door.

Like, literally looking at death
at one point, yeah.

And did that change your outlook
on your lifestyle or life?

Erm...

Intensifies for at least a couple of
years that it's good to be alive.

PETER CHUCKLES
Yeah. Yeah, definitely.

Does death worry you?

I think dying is very hard,
but you only have to do at once.

That's the good part.

Do you feel a slow decline?

Oh, yes, it is. It's there,
no matter what you do,

eventually you get
to the point where...

It's just natural, everything does.

I can see that your lifestyle keeps
you young and fit, but do you also

think having Miriam around,
with that ball of energy,

does that keep you
younger and fitter?

Definitely, yeah.

She keeps me moving,
keeps me younger,

and I get her to calm down a bit!

So, it works really well.

It's amazing to think that Miriam
isn't even as old as Peter was

when he started
doing all of this.

They must be projecting
to the future.

I wonder how much they've thought
about the reality of 64 turning...

You know, before
long, it will be 70.

And when do you stop?

And when you stop, does
the other person stop as well

just because you have?

My nomadic hosts, Miriam and Peter,

have the seemingly simplest
of lifestyles,

but it requires continual effort.

I'm loving your rolling pin.

You know, it's very simple.

For you guys, is it odd
having me in your world?

Do you enjoy extra company?
It's very interesting.

Interesting? Because...

She's lying - we can't
wait for you to leave!

I'm not offended by that,

because I can see that maybe
it is a bit of an intrusion.

No, it's great, because the people
who visit us - yourself included -

are one of our windows
into the outside world. Mm-hm.

So, that's why we
ask so many questions

and want to know what's
happening here and there.

So, no, it's great.

And if it wasn't for me,
though, being here,

do you keep an eye on news? Yeah.

Like, if you're passing
through a city,

would you pick up a newspaper?
Will you go online?

Oh, yeah, definitely.

Online, we pick up news.

And also, like, if I come to a
place where there's a radio,

I'll listen to the radio.

I mean, there's many sources
of connection to the outside world.

But sometimes, of course,
we're so isolated, we don't know.

This is a couple who are
very happy on their own.

They don't need
the world out there,

but they really need one another.

Totally reliant, not just for the
different tasks they have to do,

but also for their sanity,
for mental stimulation,

for conversation -
all of those things.

Miriam and Peter are
two strong individuals

who seem to have found their own
way of living together in the wild.

It strikes me, your relationship -

I mean, most
relationships should be,

but yours in particular really is
all about absolute mutual respect.

Yes, has to be. Yeah.

Do you think you're romantic?

Miriam would say no, I'm not!

Um...

Do you think you are, though?
No, no...

No, I don't, because love is
something much, much bigger picture.

Like, do you love that tree,
or do you love all trees, right?

If you love all trees,
very different from the individual.

So, it seems to me that
human beings, this idea -

"I love you and you love me" -
why restrict it down to that?

That's got to be
an egotistical idea.

So, my brain is struggling to keep
up with everything you're saying,

but are you saying, then,
that your love for Miriam

and her love for you is not
restricted to one another?

That's going to be misinterpreted.

I know exactly how it
will be - but, yes.

Back in camp, I can't shake
what Peter's inferred

about the couple's relationship.

I hope that, together,
they'll tell me a little more.

You guys have an amazing,
kind of rich,

probably quite intense
relationship -

12 years in these confines...

In this cocoon! Yeah.

So, I mean, how does it work?

Obviously, we have a very
different type of thing

because there is a big age
difference... Mm-hm.

..and that has certain implications.

Like what?

Like...?

Like?!

So, we have an open relationship,
so we don't own each...

I don't own him, he doesn't own me -
I feel completely free.

I feel that I can do
whatever I like.

And, um...I think if
you know what love is,

you cannot only love one.

Why should it be focused
and so focused on one?

You know, it's unnatural.

Hmm. So, if you are together
for a long time,

you will fall in love with someone
else every now and then.

Wouldn't you agree, Ben?

I love the way you're
putting it back on me!

Listen, I think...

THEY LAUGH

That's brilliant!

Perfect answer!

I think... Listen, it's really
interesting, isn't it?

I've been with my wife for 12
years... Yeah, that's for us.

I'm not going to get into the
way my relationship works,

but I do - and have -
subscribed to monogamy,

because that's what society
expects around me. Expects, yes.

I think it's interesting... Yeah.

I think you are the first people
I've met that are so open and honest

that you have what you call
an open relationship,

although I still don't understand
how that works because, out here,

presumably, it's still largely
just the two of you.

There can't be...

Yeah, in the past we've met people,
we've had friends,

they come to see us and...

But what about jealousy?

Ah, this is the big question,

because jealousy comes with the
idea of ownership and domination,

control.

And I think that jealousy,
like guilt and a few other things,

are totally useless emotions.

So, she has had, Miriam has had...

..relationships with people
in the past, and the only condition

I have is that if those people
try to compete with me,

I don't like them, I'll say that,
and then she won't do it. Mm-hm.

So, it's sensitive. It's not like...

You know, it's not a
form of promiscuity

or Tinder or any of those
things. Mm-hm.

Does it go both ways,
have you had relationships as well?

It's a little bit more
difficult for me! Why?!

I've got less opportunity!

It's a sad thing, but the way it is.

Why less opportunity?

It's just a result of
being an older person.

It's as simple as that.

Also, you say you had more
different relationships

when you were younger...
Plenty of them.

..so, you don't want to
take that away from you...

Yes, and I met her
when she was young,

so why shouldn't she enjoy these
things when she's young too?

But it doesn't define you both?

No.

It's a small part of your life?
It's a small part.

Very small part, yeah.

Their love story is pretty amazing,
you know, meeting in India,

and then having this intensity
over the last 12 years.

It may not be conventional,

and lots of people
may raise an eyebrow,

and lots of people
may think it's wrong,

but that...that is
society's expectations,

and they've severed that link.

It makes complete sense, and I think
what they have is the ultimate form

of freedom that very few of
us will ever experience.

My time with this extraordinary
nomadic couple has come to an end.

And, as I leave,
they'll also be moving on.

Do you think either of
you could ever go back

to living in a proper house?

Maybe in 20 years or so,

but for the moment we're
happy to stay nomadic.

Do you think you'll ever slow
down, though, both of you?

I will, for sure!

You don't want to get trapped
by your lifestyle, do you? Mm-hm.

So, might want to do something else
totally different in the future.

And what next?

I want to walk through Australia,

maybe with an animal
like a donkey or a horse.

I noticed you said "an animal",
pointing to Peter!

I picked up on that!

"An animal"! An animal to
carry Peter's pack, I meant.

I'm getting a little
bit sick of my pack. Yeah.

I mean, I think now I need either
a slave, a donkey or a robot.

In which order?

Well, whichever one's available.

I think slavery's a bit
tricky these days.

But robots - I would
love to have a robot.

That's your perfect embrace
of the new world and the old world.

Oh, yes, a solar-charged
robot, I can go anywhere,

I don't have to worry
about the weight.

He can probably put up the
tent if he's smart enough.

They speak of living without the
security that most of us need

in our lives, which is usually
a permanent roof over our heads

and a place that we can call home.

But their security is this -
it's the wider world.

The wilderness is their security.

I can't believe it's
time to say goodbye.

No, I can't believe it either!

Thank you so much. Thank you.

Thank you so much. Peter, thank you.

Yeah, thanks for coming
all this way, just to see us!

Listen, it's been an amazing,
amazing experience.

I think you guys are the freest
people I've ever met.

Really? Yeah, it's true.

You've met a lot of people. I have!

But listen, guys, thank
you so much. Take care.

Thank you for coming. Keep doing
what you're doing. Yeah.

Same to you.

Bye, guys! Bye-bye. Thank you!

I think what really stands out
with Peter and Miriam

is that they haven't just chosen one
specific wilderness.

They're so open-minded
that they just keep on moving.

They're living in the now.

But I also don't think
it would be possible to live...

..how they live if they
didn't have one another.

Next time,
I stay with a young couple

who moved to the wilds
of northern Canada,

along with their five daughters...

I think we're adventurers.

..and I discover why this family
thinks that living deep

in the forest with a gun
over your shoulder

is the best way to bring up
young women.

Watch what you do with that gun!

LAUGHTER

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